Issues Regarding the Design Intervention and Conservation of Heritage Areas: the Historical Pedestrian Streets of Kuala Lumpur
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sustainability Article Issues Regarding the Design Intervention and Conservation of Heritage Areas: The Historical Pedestrian Streets of Kuala Lumpur Ahmed Bindajam 1, Fadrul Hisham 2, Nashwan Al-Ansi 3 and Javed Mallick 4,* 1 Department of Architecture and Planning, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61411, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] 2 Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; [email protected] 3 Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Qassim University, Al Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia; [email protected] 4 Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha 61411, Saudi Arabia * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +966-172-428-439; Fax: +966-172-418-152 Received: 17 April 2020; Accepted: 6 May 2020; Published: 14 May 2020 Abstract: This study focused on the areas of Petaling Street and Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur, in a historical enclave that is well known locally for its cultural, architectural, and historical interest that is worth preserving and conserving. To fulfill the purpose of enhancing the areas, the local authority introduced a covered pedestrian street, which is said to be more convenient for shoppers, considering the tropical climate of Kuala Lumpur. This effort is believed to have been done without any consultation with heritage conservators and activists, thus invoking a debate regarding its many pros and cons. This study examined the arguments concerning the intervention in the heritage area from various groups of stakeholders that are directly involved. Furthermore, this paper presents the method of implementation used by the local authority when executing a conservation project. The collection of primary and secondary data in the form of surveys and interviews with the professionals, traders, and officials in the local area was carried out. The findings show that the majority of the respondents had no objection to the modern intervention in the Heritage Enclave, including the roofing structure, except for its design. This study also found that the intervention did not affect the heritage value of the place, but at the same time, brought concerns regarding the extemporaneous method taken by the local authority when implementing the project. Keywords: design intervention; pedestrian street; heritage site; conservation; street vendor 1. Introduction Kuala Lumpur, a city that was born from a humble beginning in the early 1880s, is fast becoming a global city and a tourism capital. In its early days, there were at least seven recorded traditional Malay settlements located around where Kampong Baru is today [1]. Most of the villagers were farmers whose life depended on cultivating their food. It was only about a decade later when an influx of Chinese immigrants was brought into Kuala Lumpur to work for the tin mining industry, which truly changed Kuala Lumpur’s landscape forever. The immigrants, a few of which were from wealthy families, and traders built a small town, serving their communities and providing a place where people from various backgrounds could obtain needed goods. Today, it is an area that locals and foreign tourists call “Chinatown,” especially Petaling Street, which has been a permanent pedestrian street ever since [2]. In 2003, Petaling Street underwent a significant facelift. It became the first covered pedestrian street in Kuala Lumpur, which was later followed by a similar project in Jalan Masjid India and Jalan Hang Kasturi. Jalan Hang Jebat was later commercially renamed to “Kasturi Walk.” This effort is Sustainability 2020, 12, 4028; doi:10.3390/su12104028 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2020, 12, 4028 2 of 14 believed to have been done without any professional consultation, thus invoking a debate regarding its many pros and cons. Knowing that the structures were erected in Kuala Lumpur’s historical enclave, there is an argument that this will further contribute to losing the heritage ambience of the old part of Kuala Lumpur [3]. 2. Literature Review 2.1. Kuala Lumpur Heritage Area and Challenges The reason for the challenges regarding the heritage areas in Kuala Lumpur is that these areas had been damaged for so long by poor planning decisions and insensitive developments [4]. Kuala Lumpur City Hall should have acted as a custodian of Kuala Lumpur’s heritage and carried the responsibly to safeguard, strengthen, and enhance the remaining heritage areas for the sake of the city’s identity and to maintain a source of pride for its citizens. ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Malaysia has voiced serious concerns over the lack of emphasis on the heritage conservation agenda in the recently announced “Draft Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 (DKLSP2040)” [5]. The review committee of the DKLSP2040 from ICOMOS Malaysia, whose members are architects, landscape architects, heritage conservators, and urban planners, laments: Heritage protection is not against development – it can go hand in hand rather successfully if plans are conceived with heritage in mind. We want a city that could recognise itself developed not at the expense of our historic chronology and a better quality of life. As the guardian of Kuala Lumpur’s history and heritage, Kuala Lumpur City Hall must make obvious attempts to safeguard the city’s heritage assets. Unless a focus is placed on heritage matters transparently, the ‘City for All’ will end up just another conceptual slogan and what lies ahead would be the same problems and issues we have yet to solve [4]. Therefore, alongside the Sustainable Development Goals presented by the United Nations, which call for “strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage” [6], ICOMOS Malaysia calls for the city hall to adopt recommendations from the New Urban Agenda (NUA), as discussed in the following: Clause 125: We will support the leveraging of cultural heritage for sustainable urban development and recognize its role in stimulating participation and responsibility. We will promote innovative and sustainable use of architectural monuments and sites, with the intention of value creation, through respectful restoration and adaptation. We will engage indigenous peoples and local communities in the promotion and dissemination of knowledge of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and protection of traditional expressions and languages, including through the use of new technologies and techniques [7]. These intentions are supported by claims in other sections that are related to urban heritage conservation, such as in Clauses 32, 38, 60, and 94. All these recommendations were put forward to safeguard the identity of a city, its culture, and its history, with a long-term goal to create a sustainable city for all. As such, it is important to ask: what is the identity of Kuala Lumpur? Historically, ubiquitous street activities surrounded by vernacular shophouse architecture and its uniformity, street hawkers, peddlers, overcrowded streets, and rickshaws are all part of a common image of the old Malayan town from the yesteryears, including Singapore. According to Savage [8], a city, in those days, was characterized by its atmosphere, noise, and smells. Kuala Lumpur shares a lot of similar characteristics with Singapore, although the latter was historically more significant. In a city like Kuala Lumpur, bustling business and commercial activities have often exerted pressure for land parcels within its vicinity to be developed and re-developed. In developing Asian countries, historical districts have suffered, due to the unavailability of transparent and prudent laws and guidelines [9]. Shuhana et al. [3] have pointed out that the decline of the heritage environment was due to the absence of effective legal protection and a lack Sustainability 2020, 12, 4028 3 of 14 of control within the local government. They also related this problem with modernization and economic interest regarding replacing old shophouses with new buildings, which can give better profits. Furthermore, a lack of funding and financial benefits from the building owners and tenants themselves eventually contributed to the dilapidated condition of the historical enclave. Another issue that threatens the heritage area in Kuala Lumpur is the lack of enforcement of an “allowable height limit” for new buildings in the heritage area. According to the Draft Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 [10], the allowable heights for all areas are guided by the General Allowable Height Plan (GAHP), which serves as a guide for any new developments within Kuala Lumpur, including in heritage areas. A new development is allowed, as long as it does not exceed the allowable plot ratio and the maximum allowable height indicated in the GAHP; in the heritage area, the allowable height is at most 30 stories (120 m). Interestingly, a new tallest tower in Kuala Lumpur named “PNB 118,” which is currently under construction, has 118 stories, with a total height of 644 m (five times the height limit); this tower has invoked fierce criticism from the public [11]. While it is widely understood that conservation involves “managing change” in a significant heritage area, this involves sustaining the area’s natural and cultural heritage values, while recognizing opportunities to elevate and enhance the values for present and future generations [12]. By looking at the current situation, it can be seen that the conservation of this heritage area in Kuala Lumpur is indeed a huge challenge. 2.2. Design Intervention in the Heritage Area According to the New Design in Historical Settings, a guideline issued by Historic Scotland, a special agency set up by the Scottish Government, the historic setting is a natural or designed space that encompasses the setting up of individual or set-piece heritage complexes around buildings and monuments, conservation areas or landscape design [13]. This guideline also states that there are many aspects of successful historic sites that cannot be easily measured, for example, by their architectural features. The intervention or any introduction of new elements, mostly new buildings or structures, will always call for arguments.